Dark Beginnings Book 1: The Age of Chaos
by J Weekley
Summary: This story goes back to the very beginnings of Mobius, and looks at three major developments that would begin to shape the planet into its state in the war against Robotnik.


PREQUEL; #1  
DARK BEGINNINGS BOOK ONE: THE AGE OF CHAOS  
A SONIC THE HEDGEHOG STORY  
by J WEEKLEY  
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LEGAL STUFF: This story is copyrighted 1998 by the Shrine of Chaota   
Company. You are allowed to print it out and distribute it as you   
like, so long as the original format is not changed by you in any way,   
and you don't make a buck off of it. Gabe is copyrighted by the So'C   
Co.. Sonic the Hedgehog, the Ancient Walkers, and all other   
characters, places, ect. are trademarks and are copyrighted by one or   
more of the following companies: SEGA (America/Japan), Arcie Comics,   
and DIC.  
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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay I lied. Season of the Storms was NOT my first   
fanfic. It was my first COMPLETED fanfic. This one was actually my   
first, so you may notice some dissimilarities with my work nowadays in   
the beginning of the story. This is the first story of the Prequel   
Series. This story is highly involved in Mobian religion, which I   
have been informed is a touchy subject in Sonic fanfic. It's not my   
intention to offend anyone's religious beliefs, and if I do so in this   
story, I would like to take this time to apologize in advance. Other   
than that, this story contains violence, profanity, you know, the usual   
stuff. Also, from this point on, I will most likely release my stories   
in chronological order. Plus, they will also be numbered. Just for   
your information, `The Miles Project' was #7, `Season of the Storms'was   
#'s 10, 11, and 12, `From This Side of the Nose' was #13, and   
`Resistance to the Throne' was #42. *whew!* that was a long note....   
Enjoy.  
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PART ONE  
  
Prehistoric Mobius was not one of the most inviting places in   
the galaxy. It was humid, misty, and made up mostly of jungles and   
rainforests. The atmosphere had much to be desired in breathable   
gases. Yet, somehow, life managed to begin and create the first oxygen   
in the single ancient sea. That oxygen would soon go up into the   
atmosphere, making it breathable, but the creatures living in the   
ancient sea did not feel the need to leave their familiar surroundings   
just yet.  
Then one day, a group of the creatures did leave the water.   
They were considered rebels by the others, but when the life of the sea   
saw that life on the land was flourishing, they too left the waters of   
their ancestors for a new way of life. Many could not survive on the   
land and barely made it back to the sea alive. Those which could stay   
did, and began to evolve away from what they were. They called   
themselves 'dinosaurs.'  
The dinosaurs prospered on Mobius for millions of years.   
Suddenly, at the one hundred and fifty millianth year of their reign, a   
great asteroid nearly missed Mobius. If it had impacted, surely the   
dinosaurs would have gone extinct, but it missed, and the   
dinosaurs continued to evolve and prosper on the lands of Mobius   
uninterrupted for another forty million years. It was during that time   
that they began to notice that they were changing again.  
The dinosaur's mental capacity had nearly increased fifty   
times. They developed opposable thumbs. They even developed language.   
They found that they were no longer dinosaurs, so they called   
themselves the Dinotrons. Life on Mobius still continued to   
prosper. Then the end almost came....  
************************************************************  
  
The Dinotrons quickly defined themselves as the dominant life   
on Mobius. Of course there were other lower forms of life such as   
mammals and the newly evolved birds, but they lived in fear of the   
giant beasts which held control of the planet.   
These other creatures began to wonder if their kind will ever have a   
chance to evolve and become dominant. They did not have to wonder for   
long.  
Unknown to all Mobian life, a giant comet was hurling itself to   
the planet at an incredible speed. Strangely, this comet was made of   
seven different colors. Most of it was green, but there was also red,   
orange, purple, white, yellow, and blue. For some unknown reason, the   
comet missed the moons of Mobius which happened to be in its path. It   
was as if the comet was being piloted towards the planet. When the   
comet became noticeable that last night before it hit, the Dinotrons   
knew that they were in BIG trouble. Yet one Dinotron had a plan.  
His name was Pentuch, and he was the leader of the Mobian   
Dinotron Council. He gathered a crowd together to announce his plan to   
everyone. "Dinotrons of Mobius," Pentuch began, "we are in the test of   
our strength and our minds. Nature has sent a comet to come and   
destroy us, but we know that we cannot be destroyed. Are we going to   
let Nature pick on us with a simple comet? No! At least I'm not. We   
must fight back! What I propose is that we build a giant catapult to   
launch a projectile at the comet and destroy it before it tries to   
destroys us. Who is with me?"  
The crowd seemed to like the plan (even if it was not a very   
good one) because at the end of Pentuch's question everyone in the   
crowd yelled "Me!"  
"Good," he continued. "If we begin construction of the   
catapult right now, we can be finished by dawn. We have all the   
necessary materials in the Council warehouse. Follow me, and help save   
our great society!"  
Pentuch stepped through the crowd and began walking to the   
warehouse. Every member of the crowd followed him, cheering him on and   
yelling that Nature would not succeed in its attempt to destroy them.   
They reached the warehouse and went inside. They got all of the   
materials and took them to where the comet was supposed to hit. Sure   
enough, they had finished constructing the catapult by dawn. They got   
the largest stone that they could find and loaded it on. Now all they   
had to do was wait.   
It was eight o'clock. The comet was expected around noon.   
Those designated to man the giant catapult just sat and waited. No one   
talked. No one had anything to say. The hours passed by slowly. When   
noon finally came, the air all around Mobius was tense. Dinotrons were   
gathered around with their families. All was silent.  
Suddenly, there was a loud bang as the comet entered Mobius'   
atmosphere. It sped toward the surface faster and faster. At the   
catapult, Pentuch had joined the other Dinotrons to give the order to   
fire. He saw the comet approaching them. His eyes were locked onto   
it. Next to him, a stegosaur was waiting with an ax. Pentuch broke   
the silence. "Get ready."  
The comet came closer. "Ready."  
Still even closer. After three more seconds he yelled, "NOW!"  
The stegosaur swung the ax down and cut the rope. The stone   
was hurled into the air. For ten seconds it traveled uninterrupted.   
Then the two projectiles met head on. There was a burst of light as   
the comet was hit. The light turned the whole sky green. Then an   
energy wave erupted from the comet which sped to the planet's surface.   
It hit the catapult and destroyed it. The Dinotrons who were at it   
were pulverized. Pentuch had started to run away. He did not get very   
far when the wave hit him. It was carrying him off the ground. He was   
taken to the ocean and would have been carried across if his feet did   
not get caught in a large swell. That was just enough to hold   
him down for the energy wave to push him face first into the water.   
The wave continued on all around the planet, destroying buildings and   
homes, killing those inside. It had spread itself to where it covered   
the whole planet, and when the circle met on the other side of Mobius,   
it exploded in a bust of energy.  
By then, Pentuch had managed to swim his way back to shore.   
When he got there, all he could think of was That was one heck of a   
bellyflop! He rested for awhile and then started to head back. When   
he got to where the catapult had been, the scene was pandemonium. The   
crushed bodies of the other Dinotrons lay on the ground. There was   
blood everywhere. There was also remnants of the comet. Most of the   
green section had been broken into hundreds of little pieces, but there   
was also a giant piece and another one about three-fourths the size of   
that one. The other six colors had also been broken away from each   
other in similar size pieces to the smaller of the two large   
fragments. He approached the larger one and touched it. Energy surged   
through him. He was incased in a green light. He screamed in agony.   
The light grew brighter and brighter until he could no longer be seen   
from the outside.  
Some of the few Dinotron survivors saw the strange light and   
began to walk towards it. When they reached it, they saw an   
unbelievable sight. Pentuch was glowing and hovering over the ground.   
All there stood in awe at what they were seeing. After many minutes,   
Pentuch spoke, "I am Pentuch. Follow me in the worship of the gems.   
Let us form G'Haniu."  
Many of the Dinotrons followed Pentuch in this new religion he   
called G'Haniu. They met and worshipped the gems many times a week.   
Yet Pentuch was not the only one inspired to form a new religion.   
Many miles away, several pieces of the comet had fallen into   
the yard of another Dinotron named Merton. He picked up the fragments   
and held them close together. They began to glow brightly, and then   
they shot a beam of energy out at him. He was thrown back. When he   
got up, he was surprised to see that he was glowing. The surprise did   
not last long, though, as a sudden peacefulness came over him. He   
turned around and saw a group of Dinotrons walking. He gestured for   
them to follow him, and they did. Now there were two great religions   
spreading across Mobius. Little did anyone suspect that there would be   
a third, but there was.  
It happened about the same time that Pentuch started G'Haniu.   
More fragments of the comet had landed in the nest of a flying Dinotron   
called Pteral. Like Merton, he was charged with an energy beam from   
the fragments, but it was so powerful that it knocked him out of his   
nest and into the ocean. The full charge of the fragments had not yet   
taken effect, so Pteral could not levitate out of the water. He was   
drowning. He started to go down. Surely this would be the end.   
Suddenly, a large swimming Dinotron burst out of the water with Pteral   
on his back. He carried the pteranodon to shore and dropped him off.   
"Thank you, sir," Pteral said. "You have saved my life."  
"It was the least I could do, oh powerful leader."  
"Leader? Why am I a leader? What is so special about me?"  
"You're glowing. I assumed that meant you were someone   
special. I suppose that I was wrong. I'm sorry."  
The swimming Dinotron started to go away. Pteral called out,   
"Wait! I believe I am a leader. Will you follow me?"  
"Of course."  
"Good. I am glad."  
Pteral called his new religion 'Mentya'. And so, the three   
great religions of Mobius were formed. All of them worshipped the   
fragments of the comet in some way. Each religion was favored by   
different groups of Dinotrons as well. G'Haniu was favored by the   
carnivores. Puno, Merton's religion, was favored by the herbivores and   
omnivores. Mentya was favored by the flying and swimming Dinotrons.   
But these new religions came with a price.  
There were differences in the cultural beliefs of the three   
religions. Differences that, if not handled with the utmost care,   
could start a war. And that is what happened. It started when a group   
of Punos had set up a camp near a river. Then a group of Mentya came   
and demanded that the Punos leave. According to Puno belief, once   
worship has started, it cannot stop. For any reason. They thought   
that the Mentya knew this, but they did not. So the Punos continued   
their worship. The Mentya were starting to get irritated. Finally,   
one of the Mentya grabbed a child of the Punos and tossed him into the   
river. The child could not swim, and drowned quickly. His parents   
were so angered by this that they actually broke dogma by stopping   
their worship and went to the Mentya who had sent their son to his   
death. Since the family was of Pachycephalosauronoids, the father   
rammed his head into the attacker's chest before he could fly away.   
The father pushed the attacker to and through a tree. The impact and   
thickness of the tree caused the attacker's neck to snap. When all   
present saw this, all hell broke loose. The Mentya were the first to   
attack, but all their blows were easily blocked by Punos. Then it was   
the Punos' turn to attack. They drove the Mentya away from the forest   
quickly, but they continued to chase after them.  
The Mentya were yelling and screaming, almost begging the Punos   
to cease their attack, but the Punos would not yield. The chase came   
to a nearby town, and both groups went searching for other members of   
their religion to help them. Unfortunately (or fortunately) this town   
was highly Mentya. Soon all of the attacking Punos were killed. For   
years after that incident, tensions remained high between the Puno and   
Mentya. It seemed that only the G'Haniu could be able to keep the   
peace. Still, everyone knew that the fighting would break out again   
sooner or later. And the next time it would not be just between the   
Puno and Mentya. The G'Haniu were sure to get involved in the   
conflict. And that would be extremely fatal; the G'Haniu being made up   
entirely of carnivores. Everyone spent year after year living in the   
fear that they would be annihilated the next day. But as soon as they   
lived through the day, they felt relief for two hours at the most.   
Then came the question, "What about tomorrow?"  
Soon their worst fears came true.  
The morning started out just like any other. The Dinotrons in   
Mobius' capital city had barely started their day, though, when a   
rumbling was heard throughout the city. People looked out their   
windows to see a mob of Punos running towards the Mentya temple. The   
mob had torches, clubs, and an arsenal of other weapons. Pteral had   
been sleeping in his chamber in the temple when he awoke to the sound   
of the screaming crowd. He looked sleepily out his window and his eyes   
went wide. He jumped out of bed and ran for the temple exit as fast as   
he could. When he got there, however, a group Punos had already   
blocked his path. He turned around quickly and ran for the back door.   
Thank the Emeralds, the Punos had not blocked it yet. Sure that no one   
had seen him leave, Pteral ran for a metal shack about two miles away   
from the temple. He got inside, slammed the door behind him, leaned   
against a wall and breathed a deep sigh of relief.  
The mob had managed to set fire to the temple. Since they   
could not find Pteral, they went out to capture and kill other Mentyas.   
This was the Punos' mistake, because at the edge of the city were   
hundreds of Mentya. Some of the Mentya mob stayed and fought the Punos   
while a small group of eleven snuck out towards the Puno temple, where   
Merton was staying. For his own sake, Merton was ready to leave the   
temple before the mob arrived. When they were close enough that he   
could hear their shouts of fury, he grabbed his supplies and left.  
Running through the woods that bordered the city, Merton   
recalled a small metal shack which he had played in as a hatchling. It   
was only about two miles away from his current position. To the west,   
he thought. His ears picked up the shouting of the mob and he started   
running towards the shack. When he finally got there, however, the   
front door was locked. From the inside. Merton, however was not   
stopped by this minor setback, because he knew of a secret entrance   
underneath one of the side panels. He went around to the entrance and   
lifted a rock from one of the panels. Excellent! Nobody had closed up   
the hole. It was a tight squeeze, but he eventually made it into the   
shack. When he rounded the corner, he saw Pteral looking out through   
a small hole in the door of the shack. "YOU!" he called out.  
Pteral swung around from his position and, upon seeing Merton,   
yelled out, "YOU!"  
Each saw two poles that were on the ground and ran for them.   
Just as they were about to swing down on each other's head, Merton   
suddenly stopped and said, "Wait a minute!"  
Pteral stopped in mid-swing and noticed the confused look on   
Merton's face. "What is it?" he asked.  
"Who is it that started this war, anyway? Us or a few   
senseless followers?"  
Both leaders put down their poles and just stared at each   
other.  
Two miles away, the fighting continued. The G'Haniu had met in   
an alley, and had decided it was time to put a stop to the fighting.   
Rawlinx, Pentuch's second-in-command, led the small peace party. His   
leader had said he would be joining them shortly. When the group   
emerged from the alley, Rawlinx came into view. He spread his arms out   
and addressed the crowd. "Fellow Mobians, listen to me. Stop your   
senseless fighting an join together once again in harmony. Make peace   
with each other. Stop--"  
A voice from the crowd interrupted him, "Shut up!"  
The next thing Rawlinx saw, the last thing he ever saw, was an   
ax spiraling towards him at an incredible rate. Meanwhile, Pentuch was   
hurrying down the alley to meet up with the rest of the G'Haniu group   
when he heard the crowd give a loud yell as he saw something bouncing   
down the alley towards him. He paused slowly as Rawlinx's head came to   
a stop at his feet. Oh damn! he thought as he turned around and ran   
back the opposite way into the woods. He ran for about two miles when   
he passed by an old metal shack. Suddenly, Pteral and Merton burst out   
of its door and called out to Pentuch to get in. He jumped inside and   
locked the door behind him. "What are you two doing here TOGETHER?"  
"Let's talk about that later, okay?" said Merton. "Right now,   
there are even more important matters for us to discuss."  
For one more week, the fighting continued. All day and all   
night, the three leaders heard the sounds of struggle outside the   
shack. They could not worry about their people, though, for this was a   
war they would have to end on their own. The leaders just continued   
their talks and plans for the future. On the morning of the eighth   
day, Mobius was silent. The leaders slowly walked out of the shack and   
back toward the city. The sight made all of them lose every meal they   
had eaten for the past week and then some. Bodies were lying   
everywhere. Blood stained every building from top to bottom. The air   
was dense with flies and the disgusting smell of decaying flesh filled   
every corner of the city. Pentuch and the other two traveled around   
the planet. Every inhabited area was the same. The Dinotrons had   
managed to kill themselves off in a week. Sadly, they returned to the   
capital and sat in town square. The air was beginning to be breathable   
again, as they had cremated all the bodies littering the streets of   
everywhere they went.  
Pteral looked worriedly to Pentuch. "Now what do we do?"  
Pentuch replied, "Well, with the Dinotrons all gone, mammals   
will have a chance to evolve. We must lead them with our newly formed   
religion of G'Punya, so that they might learn to work together without   
religious conflicts, and not have the same fate of our species."  
Merton was the next to speak. "And what of the emeralds?"  
"They shall remain an important part of the lives of all   
Mobians. Strange how we never named them. I believe that since they   
have managed to bring chaos to our world ever since they arrived, we   
should call them the 'Chaos Emeralds.'"  
"Yes," the others said, "the Chaos Emeralds."  
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PART TWO  
  
For a thousand years, the Ancient Walkers watched the mammals   
of Mobius evolve very quickly. This fast evolution was soon found to   
be a result of billions and billions of tiny particles of the Chaos   
Emeralds still floating around in Mobius' air from when the comet that   
had first brought them there was destroyed. The Ancient Walkers, as   
Pentuch, Merton, and Pteral were called, saw the need to educate the   
Mobian mammals in the proper way of G'Punya. Such an undertaking, as   
well as studies in other subjects such as mathematics and the sciences,   
could only be done at an official academy.  
The Ancient Walkers brought twenty thousand followers to the   
ancient capital city of the Dinotrons. They ordered every building to   
be torn down, except for the three old temples. Those were connected   
to each other by a system of tunnels. Then, the whole works was   
covered with soil, making a natural artificial hill. It was inside   
the temples of this hill that was the academy of the Chaos Emeralds.  
*************************************************************  
  
There exists an ancient Mobian text which was written by a   
student of this school. It reads:  
  
We must attend the Academy for a total of seven years, until   
our sixteenth birthday. When I arrived that first day when I was nine,   
I had no idea what to expect. My life as I had known it had come to an   
end, as well as a new beginning. I found myself standing among some of   
the greatest young scholars of Mobius and G'Punya. I had to adapt to   
this new way of life quickly if I was to be one of the few pupils who   
made it past that first week.  
The first change that I had to go through was a somewhat   
permanent change of attire. Upon my arrival I was taken to the main   
closet and handed my cloaks which I would wear from that point on. The   
color of the cloak is a symbol of who's student you are. The "Direct   
Pupils" of the Ancient Walkers, as they are called, wear gray cloaks.   
They make up most of the teachers here. The other, ordinary students,   
like myself, wear brown cloaks. Except for the teachers giving us   
lessons, the Direct Pupils and other students never mixed.  
Everything we did was different. We slept in different   
facilities. We ate in different dining halls. We even attended the   
Emeralds' Mass at different times. The only way to experience both was   
to be one of the lucky few who allowed to become Direct Pupils. That   
is much easier said than done.  
In order to be a Direct Pupil, you must present yourself to the   
Grand Council. You tell them about how you are doing in your grades,   
how your knowledge of G'Punya has increased since you entered the   
Academy, and how you would use your status of Direct Pupil in the   
future. The Grand Council then adjourns to make a decision. The next   
day if you are approved, you be formally handed your new gray cloak and   
inducted as a Direct Pupil of the Ancient Walkers.  
From that point on, you will serve as a teacher to the other   
students, and lead the mysterious, secretive life that will encourage   
others to become Direct Pupils themselves. Unless, of course, you take   
the one course of action that is forbidden to even the highest of the   
Direct Pupils and--" (Remaining text missing)  
************************************************************  
  
While the remaining text has been missing for many years, the   
course of action mentioned near the end had been inferred from the   
legend of Gabe. Like most Mobian legends, this one actually happened,   
and it was for the sake of the entire planet that it did. Though most   
of the legend has been obscured over time, it is now being presented in   
its most complete format.  
************************************************************  
  
Gabe was a young [species unknown] who had just entered the   
Academy as an ordinary student. He was nine at the time, like all the   
other students. He went to the check-in room to get his robes and   
other supplies that he would need for his stay there. He looked up to   
the attendant who was handing him these supplies and noticed the gray   
cloak that the old fox had on. "Why do you have on a gray cloak   
instead of a brown one like you're handing me?" he asked.  
"Because I am a Direct Pupil of the Ancient Walkers," the fox   
replied.  
"Oh. Okay."  
"Now move along, young one. There are a lot of other children   
who need their supplies that are behind you."  
"Okay."  
Unknown to the young Gabe, his exit was being watched from an   
unseen window by three pairs of wooden eyes. "This young one shows   
some promise, don't you agree?"  
"Yes. He may prove to be most powerful."  
"I find that he has much courage inside of him. He may be just   
the person we are looking for."  
Gabe went about his business in the Academy, performing well in   
his studies and other activities, all the while being looked upon,   
studied, by his most important teachers. Two years past uneventfully.   
He grew more mature faster than some of the other pupils in level, both   
mentally and physically. In his mind he was full of questions.   
Questions that he wanted answers to. He was determined to get them no   
matter what. One day in his History of G'Punya class, he asked the   
first one. When his teacher called time for free discussion, Gabe was   
the first with his hand raised. "Yes, Gabe?" the turtle asked.  
"Sir, why was Chaota chosen as the god of G'Punya and not some   
other creature?"  
The teacher just stared at Gabe, then he said, "Next question,   
please."  
He could not believe it. His question just shot down in an   
instant. He thought the teacher had said "free discussion." The   
idiotic rabbit who sat behind him's question about the proper mating   
age had confirmed Gabe's thought. So why was his question so   
unimportant? He asked again after class, and, again, it was quickly   
dismissed when the teacher left, almost locking Gabe in the room behind   
him. This did not keep Gabe from asking the question again and again,   
to every teacher in the Academy. All the time, it had the same result.   
Realizing that this was taking him nowhere, he gave it up and continued   
with his studies. But he never forgot the question. It always   
lingered in his mind. Even to the day when he was called before the   
Grand Council.  
[Most of the legend that happened during that paragraph has   
been lost to time. However, Mobian historians estimate that Gabe was   
somewhere around fifteen years old when he went to the Grand Council to   
request to be a Direct Pupil. The request took much longer than usual,   
one week. This was because of his 'unusual activities over the   
years.' Again, this is left only to theorize about, but historians   
agree that those 'unusual activities' were, in fact, his questions that   
he always asked. After this waiting period, Gabe was accepted as a   
Direct Pupil, and went through all the formalities just like those   
before him.]  
As a Direct Pupil, Gabe had hoped to finally have his questions   
answered. They were not. He still got the same reaction to every   
question he had asked as a regular student. He decided that it was   
time he took action. It was after he had his lesson from the Ancient   
Walkers. He got up and left with the rest of the class, but snuck back   
to the room when they all had gone to the dining hall. Though he had   
been warned never to disturb the Ancient Walkers, he just knew that   
they would be the only ones who could answer his questions.  
He quietly entered the room. It had been all aglow during the   
lesson, but now it was dark and eerily silent. He did the only thing   
he could. He walked right in and said, "Hello?"  
Suddenly, a bright flame exploded in front of him, knocking him   
to the ground. When he looked back up, he saw the Ancient Walkers   
standing above him, staring at him through their wooden masks. The one   
formerly known as "Pentuch" stepped toward him. When the Dinotron   
spoke, it seemed so loud that the whole building felt like it was in an   
earthquake. "Gabe, son of Jonas, you have been chosen to the Post-  
Prophet of Chaota. You shall be Teacher to all of Mobius. Travel the   
planet, and spread your knowledge to all furkind."  
"How can I spread my knowledge when I still have so many   
questions that I don't know?" asked Gabe.  
"The knowledge will be granted to you. Listen to our   
teachings, young one. Listen and know that which you seek.  
"You wish to know why we chose Chaota to be the god of G'Punya   
in place of the Chaos Emeralds. Why Chaota was chosen, and not some   
other creature. Chaota was the first being on Mobius after the   
Dinotrons to truly be sentient. For this reason, we granted Chaota the   
honor of worship by the other inhabitants of Mobius."  
"And what of my other questions?" Gabe asked.  
"They will all be answered in time, Young One."  
************************************************************  
  
And so Gabe left the Ancient Walkers and the academy to teach   
around the Planet Mobius. His teachings brought him fame and respect   
among the Mobians. After twenty years, he returned to the Academy, the   
place he called his home. There he stayed, coming out when needed,   
never for another reason. And his greatest need would come sooner than   
anyone had ever suspected....  
------------------------------------------------------------  
PART THREE  
  
The Mobus Star System is made up of two planets. The first is   
Mobius. The second is called Monocumbiumbius. It was there that a   
conquering race lived. Easily mistaken for humans, these people had   
expanded their empire to include four whole star systems. Yet they did   
not have complete control of their own. They tended to ignore Mobius,   
as there was nothing of importance on the planet. Just some minor life   
forms that they considered lower than themselves.   
They were also very advanced. The most advanced people in the   
galaxy at the time, in fact. Their satellite network stretched out for   
eighteen sectors. A single space station orbiting the planet was   
responsible for retrieving and processing the millions of gigabytes of   
data. It was here that a single transmission almost caused the end of   
Mobius.  
************************************************************  
  
General Metternich Ivo walked down the corridors of the Great   
Hall where the Military Actions Council was meeting. He had been   
waiting outside the doorway to the meeting chamber for over an hour.   
He started to wonder if the Council had forgotten about him. Just   
then, a messenger came out into the hall. "It's about time," Ivo said   
as he started to walk through the entrance, but the messenger stopped   
him at the door.  
"You can't go in yet," he said. "The Council asked me to tell   
you that you should be in a few hours."  
Ivo sighed angrily, "Fine."  
When the messenger left, the general spoke silently to himself,   
"What could be so important? Why am I so involved in this? They call   
me to be here at nine in the morning. That's just fine, except they   
called at eight-thirty. Just my luck I get to spend my day off waiting   
for the Council to see me about something that they haven't even hinted   
at. The Council knows all, the Council is all, the Council is life.   
BAH! Words as useless as the bones of the idiot man who first said   
them. A moronic chant pounded into our heads in school. Completely   
worthless; a waste of breath. They expect us to live by that little   
slogan. Not when I make the Council. Things are going to change.  
"If only Laura were not off-planet, I would be spending this   
day with her. Instead I'm stuck amid the marble statues of the   
Councilors who have gone before. Hopefully all gone to Hell, with   
their delusions of prestige, wealth, popularity, HA! They made this   
Council the greatest power in the Empire, and it's just a bunch of old   
farts who have nothing better to do than sit on their asses all day and   
discuss politics and women. Oh, yes, things WILL change when I get my   
place among those old farts. I can run this empire the way it should   
have been run in the first place. By myself, with some representatives   
from each of the planets, we'll have ourselves a nice little democratic   
dictatorship going. And going strong, far stronger than what those   
bench warmers in there could ever hope for."  
"Nice little speech, General."  
Ivo turned around to see another general of the Interstellar   
Army, Ahan'braq Kintobor. Ivo was surprised to see his rival in the   
same room as him. "Abe," he asked, "what are you doing here?"  
"The same as you, I'm waiting to see the Council. I got a call   
from them at eight-thirty this morning, asking me to be here."  
"By nine?"  
"No, ten-thirty actually. I'm a little early, aren't I?"  
"If the Council has planned like I think they did, then your   
being early is to my advantage."  
"Really? Do you think they wanted to see us both together?"  
"Yes, I do, actually. For reasons that I couldn't BEGIN to   
contemplate."  
"Oh, yes, about those changes you were talking about. Not if I   
do them first."  
"Oh, please. You couldn't rule an ant farm."  
The messenger, hearing the conversation going on outside,   
opened the door again. "Ah, you're both here. Good. The Council, All   
Knowing, All Powerful, will see you now."  
"Finally," Ivo muttered under his breath.  
************************************************************  
  
Ivo and Kintobor stood in front of the Military Actions   
Council, the greatest power in the Empire. The row of ten old men   
stared at them. The Head Councilor sat in a raised area in the center.   
"I don't want to waste you gentlemen's time, so I'll make this as brief   
as possible. Our sensors have picked up unusual energy readings coming   
from Mobius. Further scans reveal that sentient life has managed to   
develop there. The planet is now ready for conquest and assimilation   
into the Empire. General Ivo, as the most experienced officer, you   
will be leading the conquering party. General Kintobor, you will be   
Ivo's second-in-command. We've already assembled a team for you.   
You should find our choices satisfactory. That is all, meeting   
dismissed."  
Even the other Council members were surprised to hear the   
dismissal of the meeting. They got up and left. Ivo and Kintobor were   
behind them when Metternich was stopped by the Head Councilor, calling   
him into his office. He entered behind the old man.  
Inside the office were hundreds of artifacts lining the walls.   
All symbols of the cultures the Empire had taken over. The H.C. stood   
facing away from Ivo. He listened as his elder began to speak. "Have   
you ever wondered why people put other people in control of them? Why   
people can't handle the work of government themselves? I can tell you   
why. A single person can be intelligent and cunning; resourceful and   
willing; respectful; able to handle any situation that comes up. The   
qualities of a good leader. People, on the other hand are stupid,   
quick to act, ready for rebellion in a single moment. It requires a   
leader to keep them under control. The people realize this, so they   
elect a leader for them."  
"Why are you telling me this, sir?"  
"Because, Metternich, I know of your plans for change. They   
would be the downfall of the Empire. Heh, I suppose it really   
shouldn't even be called an empire. We haven't had an emperor for two   
millennia. We just kept the name because it sounds good."  
"Every schoolchild knows that."  
"Ivo, listen to me. As you know, this Council's members are   
here for life, but they're elected into it by the people of   
Monocumbiumbus. It is the role of the Council to make sure those   
people keep under control. A dictatorship was tried once, but   
because the people didn't want the man, the entire system almost   
collapsed. The Council almost didn't make it. Same with the Empire.   
The same thing would be bound to happen if you were to assume full   
control. Even with a little department of advisors, you wouldn't do   
much good. I just want you to consider what the repercussions may be   
of another dictatorship."  
"Sir, I just have this strange feeling inside of me that a   
member of my House was destined to rule a whole empire. I'm the   
closest to ever doing this, so I have my hopes up, you understand, of   
achieving it."  
"At least wait a while. A success on this mission will   
guarantee you a victory over John Tevsh. Once you're on the Council,   
then make your decision. And do make it carefully, please."  
"I will."  
Ivo left the H.C.'s office heading toward the liftoff pad. He   
wished that he had been given more notice that he would be going off   
into space, he would've brought his nausea pills with him. As a   
result, he was destined to have the worst trip of his life going to   
Mobius. At least it was not that far away. When he arrived, Kintobor   
was already on board the spacecraft looking over their supplies. The   
fighters were stationed below, in cryogenic suspension. Ivo walked   
over to the controls. He ran his four-fingered hand across the panel.   
It had been years since he had piloted a craft of this type, and he   
hoped he could remember how. No time to cram, though, as the order   
to take off was given. The vehicle lifted off the pad and flew into   
space.  
************************************************************  
  
Ivo looked over to Kintobor, who had just returned from the   
cryo chamber where the soldiers were in suspended animation for the   
duration of the trip. "What's the crew look like?"  
"A bunch of snowmen. Why were they put in suspended animation   
anyway? It's just a one-hour trip."  
"War tactics. The soldiers need to be fresh, well-rested,   
ready to go. It also gives the Council an excuse to keep taxes high to   
fund this program. Personally, I think it should be eliminated until   
our own problems can be dealt with on Monocumbiumbus."  
"And is this before or after you take on your namesake?"  
"Shut up. The man might've been a genius, but he also a   
complete idiot. Why did they stick us together, anyway? They know   
we're rivals for power."  
"Nice to hear you admit it."  
"Oh, well I don't see you running for a Council position. I'm   
surprised you're allowing Tevsh the honor of being my opponent."  
"I'm more than allowing it, I'm supporting it."  
"What?! Why?"  
"Tevsh is a civilian. No military connections at all. That   
means there's no way he can be sent on a mission in which he can easily   
get killed during the campaign."  
"Ah, I see. You don't care if you don't get on the Council, so   
long as someone under your influence does."  
"That is precisely my strategy."  
"Then you shouldn't have given it away."  
"Be quiet and fly the ship."  
Slowly, at least in the sense of celestial travel, the ship   
approached Mobius.  
************************************************************  
  
In the temple, Gabe opened his eyes from his meditation. He   
was now certain. A force of incredible power and strength was on its   
way. It was a sensation he had been receiving for a few days back, but   
now it was confirmed. He stood up and left the temple. Making his way   
to the city of Mobius, the planet's capital city, he reflected on what   
his visions had revealed to him. An army from the stars. Equipped   
with strong soldiers and incredible technology. A conquering party,   
the first attack wave from another planet. But the outcome-- it was   
something Gabe could not foresee, hard as he tried.  
He sent a message to the military telling them to be ready at a   
moment's notice once the invaders land. Instead of being at the front   
of the battle lines making preparations with the military, Gabe went to   
a nearby park to wait for the inevitable. He did not have to wait   
long....  
The sound was unlike anything anybody on Mobius had ever heard.   
Though not a cloud in the sky, there was one loud crash of thunder.   
Only this crash of thunder was heard over a very large distance of the   
planet. It was the sound of death entering the atmosphere in the form   
of a large, asymmetrical spaceship. The Mobian soldiers who survived   
that first day later told of what the ship looked like before it   
landed. It was essentially a gray cylinder with hundreds of tubes   
protruding from the sides. The tubes were laser cannons, a technology   
far too advanced for the Mobians to comprehend. After it landed,   
however, it flattened out, and the tubes began to glow. What happened   
next was considered the single largest massacre in the history of   
Mobius.  
The ship had landed facing the Mobian forces, which happened to   
be in front of the city. So as the lasers emitted their beams of   
destruction, not only did they vaporize almost all of the Mobian   
troops, but half the city as well. At the end of the ten minute   
attack, over a million Mobians had been killed. From his vantage point   
in the park, Gabe watched solemnly as death poured out from those   
cannons. If that was merely the first wave attack, then the aliens   
would be even more powerful when they *really* started fighting.   
Knowing what he must do, Gabe turned around and returned to the temple.  
Not long after Gabe's departure, the hatch to the ship began to   
open, and out came hundreds of the aliens, all hyped and ready for a   
fight. Needless to say, they were very surprised to see no one waiting   
for them. General Ivo, who was the last to leave the ship, felt   
suspicious of the whole situation. The laser bombardment had been   
intended to merely weaken the enemy forces, not annihilate them in one   
blow. He walked out further into the open amongst his men. Kintobor   
was waiting for him. "It could be a trap," he said.  
Ivo did not have any time to agree. Just as he recognized the   
creak of a tree branch, the remaining Mobian forces began their turn.   
Ivo was surprised that they were using bows and arrows. Primitive, but   
judging that a third of his army was already dead, he knew the   
effectiveness. Not one arrow seemed to be aimed toward him. An   
advantage Ivo and Kintobor decided to use. Unstrapping their laser   
guns, they quickly took out every last one of the Mobians in the trees.   
With a large smirk on his face, Ivo decided that it was time he took   
the capital city itself. If the war kept going like this, he would be   
home in time for dinner.  
************************************************************  
  
The city of Mobius had been completely evacuated by the time   
Ivo and his forces arrived. Evacuated, but full of booby traps. When   
two officers tried to enter a building, as soon as they opened the   
door, the whole building collapsed on top of them. Still in shock from   
it, Kintobor ordered, "Keep your guard up. And if you see any of their   
furry butts, remember we take no prisoners!"  
A voice shouted out from somewhere behind another building,   
"Neither do we!"  
From behind that building, seventy Mobians stepped out, all of   
them lions. The head lion spoke up, "We will not allow you to take our   
planet, alien. Pull out your forces now, or die!"  
Ivo stood his ground. "I'll give you fools one last chance,"   
the lion growled.  
Ivo narrowed his eyes, anticipating the inevitable attack, and   
began formulating his counter. Speed and cunning were the order of the   
day, the perfect match to the lion's strength. With a final rumbling   
in the back of his throat, the lion leaped forward, signaling the   
attack. Despite his size, he was much faster than Ivo had anticipated,   
not to mention extremely articulate with the apparent weapon of choice   
among the lions, a sword. Within a second, he was halfway to Ivo with   
his blade already unsheathed and pointed straight at the man's heart.   
Resisting the urge to take out his own ceremonial blade, which would be   
of no use to his defense as it was made of a much lighter and breakable   
material, he ducked and rolled out of the blade's way as   
it suddenly swung towards him. Around them, the battle waged on. The   
lion had managed to spin around, and Ivo jumped out of the way just as   
the sword came down, and the tip of the blade became stuck in the   
ground. Taking the lion's brief struggle to free the sword to his   
advantage, Ivo kicked him hard in the wrist. Powerless to do   
otherwise, the lion's reflexes kicked in and he grabbed the injured   
wrist with his other hand. Seizing the opportunity, Ivo grabbed the   
sword, pulled it out of the ground, and swung for the lion.  
A cry of immeasurable pain rang onto the battlefield of the   
city as the lion's left forearm, severed at the elbow, fell lazily on   
the ground. Ivo took a quick three-sixty and brought the sword up to   
the lion's face, slashing across the left side of his face, taking with   
it the eye. He collapsed to his knees, and Ivo took the moment for all   
it was worth to finish the job. He took a few steps back, lifted the   
sword in front of him, and ran as fast as he could. The tip of the   
sword made contact with the lion's chest, and then pushed its way   
inside. He fell back, his legs slipping forward from under him, lying   
him flat on his back. Ivo moved over him, and with all his might   
pushed the sword further into the lion. With a strained growl, he   
swung up his arm and managed to grab Ivo's uniform jacket, and pull the   
man down beside him. Ivo tried to lift himself up, but the dying   
lion's grip held fast. He pulled Ivo to his face and said weakly, "Why   
do you do this?"  
Ivo was dumbfounded. "Because I'm told to," he responded.  
Ivo was dragged further down, and the lion's voice was almost   
to the point of a whisper, merely a small fraction louder and a bit   
more strained, "But... is it...what you *want*...to do?"  
Ivo hesitated for a moment. In all his years of military   
service, never once did he question whether or not he wanted to carry   
out his orders. Until now. But in that moment of hesitation, just   
before Ivo could try to give an answer, the lion's grip slowly   
loosened, his eyes rolled back, and the last, long exhale of breath   
left his body. Ivo stayed there for minutes, simply staring at the   
lion, and thinking of his last words. Had it been possible, he may   
have remained at the spot for hours, but because of the fact that he   
was still in a war zone, the few minutes was the only time allotted to   
him. Ten feet away, he heard a deafening scream, and the sound of a   
laser gun firing, followed by a loud, dull thud and then a more silent   
one. Ivo stood up and turned around to see the legacy of all war.  
There on the ground was a young lieutenant, his left arm and   
both his legs ripped off. The blood had already saturated his uniform   
and was still flowing. In his right hand was the laser gun. It had   
found its target. Two yards away was the corpse of another lion, all   
the flesh and muscle burned off its skull, which was still smoking   
from the blast. The lieutenant looked over to Ivo, and dropping the   
laser gun, reached out for him with his only remaining hand. "General,   
please... help me. Please..."  
The plea in his eyes outweighed the one from his mouth, and Ivo   
did all he could to restrain his tears as he did the only thing   
available to him. He took out his own gun and fired at the young man,   
hitting him squarely in the chest. He shuddered for just a moment   
before falling quickly and quietly to the ground. Ivo looked over to   
the rest of the battle. Kintobor was doing a fine job of commanding   
the remainder of the troops. A victory was surely guaranteed. Ivo   
moved over to the tent which had been set up as the mobile command   
center. After telling the guard outside that he was not to be   
disturbed for any reason, he went inside and to a small room in the   
back which served as his office. There, he did not even bother to   
restrain his tears.  
************************************************************  
  
Two more days of fighting passed, and the Monocumbiumbians   
gained victory after victory. On the night of that second day,   
Kintobor was on watch duty. Normally, it was something he would give   
to someone else, but the number of troops had been seriously depleted   
over the past two days, and Monocumbiumbius refused to send in more   
troops. So there was "Abe" Kintobor, General of the Monocumbiumbian   
Space Military, keeping a watch over the area of the camp, while other   
junior troops went about their other tasks. Suddenly, there was the   
snap of a twig, and Kintobor instinctively reached for his sword,   
which, unlike Ivo's, was anything but ceremonial. "Who's there?" he   
bellowed.  
A creature wearing a gray cloak stepped out into the open. "No   
one whom you need to concern yourself with. I have come to negotiate a   
peace treaty between us."  
"You want a treaty? HERE'S YOUR TREATY!" Kintobor yelled out   
as he swung his sword with incredible speed up and through the Mobian's   
left arm, cutting it off at the shoulder. The Mobian moaned in agony   
as he dropped to the ground holding his shoulder.   
Kintobor was swinging his sword up, ready to bring down the final blow   
when the beam of a laser gun flashed in front of him, just inches from   
his face. "Kintobor, put down your blade," Ivo said as he walked   
slowly toward them.  
"B--but, sir..." Kintobor began to protest.  
"NOW!"  
As Kintobor resheathed his sword, Ivo explained, "Look at the   
numbers, Abe. In just three days, we've lost three-fourths of our   
troops. And I personally have had to euphanize eight. I've had time   
to think, and I've come to some conclusions. Even if we are the   
victors of this war, we will never win it. In order to avoid any more   
loss of life, we must seek a peaceful alternative. A treaty would be   
the proper first step to take." He walked over and helped the furry to   
his feet. "And the first clause," he continued, "is getting you some   
medical attention immediately."  
He helped the Mobian into the camp toward the medical tent.   
The whole time, Kintobor watched from the gate, with arms akimbo and   
mouth gaped open. What could Ivo be smoking? he thought to himself.  
************************************************************  
  
An hour later in the Monocumbiumbian medical tent, the doctors   
finished up with the Mobian. They had replaced the lost arm with a   
three-fingered robotic replacement with some kind of neural interface   
system which the Mobian did not care to learn about. He was simply   
satisfied with the fact that it was fully articulate and did its job.   
Thus thanking the doctors, he rejoined Ivo in his office. "Now before   
we begin, I suppose we should be properly introduced. My name is   
Metternich, latest descendant of the House of Ivo, and General in the   
Monocumbiumbian Space Military."  
"Monocumbiumbian. That name's going to start to get tedious   
after a while, don't you think?"  
"Well, since we do come down from the sky, some species have   
begun to know us as `Overlanders.'"  
"Very well, then. Overlanders you shall be here, as well. And   
my name is Gabe."  
"Well, Gabe, what's say we make some peace?"  
"Sounds good to me, General."  
************************************************************  
  
Thus was the first Mobian-Overlander Treaty drafted. Made   
under accordance of the Military Actions Council on Monocumbiumbius, it   
stated that anyone who wished to settle on Mobius was welcome to do so   
(though the Councilors were, at first, reluctant to agree on that). It   
also stated that after a period of five centuries, the Overlanders   
would be welcome to join in G'Punya, and during the waiting period,   
they would be free from religious-based persecution. So thousands   
flocked to Mobius, including Ivo's wife, Laura. Many of them helped to   
rebuild the city of Mobius. They were free to settle anywhere,   
although most of them chose a peninsula which resembled the terrain of   
their home planet. And peace was achieved during what was, in essence,   
the very start of those dark beginnings of Mobius.  
  
  
  
  
THE END  
  
Next story: DARK BEGINNINGS BOOK TWO: DARK CHAOS  
  



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